


How Far Does the Dark Go

by theexplorerofpossibility



Series: Peter Parker's Playlist [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man - All Media Types, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Anti-Racism, Arrests, Bad Ending, Being a superhero sucks, Civil War-Bad Ending, Gen, Good Friend Ned Leeds, Governments suck, Hurt Peter, Identity Issues, Identity Reveal, My First AO3 Post, Ned Leeds is a Good Bro, One Shot, Peter Parker Angst, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker-centric, Peter is in danger, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Post-Civil War (Marvel), Prejudice, Run-away peter parker, Save Peter, Scared Peter Parker, Scared Tony Stark, Sokovia Accords, Teen Peter Parker, Where's cap when you need him?, Where's tony when you need him?, maybe just anti-prejudice, one shot for now, sorta anti-racism?, title from a song
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-21
Updated: 2019-01-21
Packaged: 2019-10-14 03:32:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17500733
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theexplorerofpossibility/pseuds/theexplorerofpossibility
Summary: Peter thought that everything was fine. Two months after he got called by Tony Stark to fight with him, he thought that it was over.Turns out it wasn't.The fight between the Avengers created another change that Tony and Steve feared. And Peter Parker gets caught in the middle of it.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is my first ever story and I'm glad that you chose to read it! Especially since I wrote this without stopping until 4:30 in the morning (not good for you health btw) Please leave any constructive criticisms you have. And if you liked what I wrote, please leave a kudos!!

_“The events of what is now known internationally as the ‘Clash of the Avengers’ or ‘Civil War’ has sparked a new string of controversy after a decision was made to modify the Sokovia Accords as a response to the defection of Captain Steve Rogers two months prior. A new report has been released by the UN stating that, instead of being detained and registered by the respective government, any and all persons with abilities that are considered super human will be classified as ‘enhanced’, and are to be immediately arrested on sight.  In accordance to this, the Chief of the New York Police Department has just released an arrest warrant for all vigilantes believed to be working in city of New York.”_

Peter stared at Ned’s phone, mouth agape. The newscaster kept on talking, but Peter was focused on the part where-did he hear that right?- they were going to _arrest enhanced humans on sight_.

Ned looked at him uncertainly. Ever since finding out that he was actually a super hero and not interning for Tony Stark, Ned had been excited to be in every part of his adventures (or lack thereof since the most action he had seen was a grand theft bicycle). Anything even remotely related to Spider-man got him excited. But right now,  he was far from being happy with the news. Ned looked at Peter, worry etched on his face, “Pete, maybe you should lay off being your alter ego for a while.”

Peter usually would have scoffed at that. The idea of taking a break from being a super hero would be far from his mind. If anything, his constant attempts in contacting Happy showed how much he wanted _more_ super hero work. But with the news on the Accords, Peter had to agree. “Ye-yeah maybe I should.” He read the article that contained the video one more time before giving Ned’s phone back.

“They’re not going to actually arrest you right?” At this, Ned gave him a look of distress. The thought that Peter, just Peter and not his alter ego Spider-man, would ever get arrested for being a vigilante never crossed either of their minds. Except now it was starting look like a  possibility.  

“They need probable cause to do that. And I didn’t do anything bad. So I’m safe… Right?” Peter asked, not to anyone specific. He should still be safe. He had to be. That’s what Tony Stark promised.

“Yeah usually. But these Accords just made it complicated.” Ned commented. His observation left Peter with a chill settling in his stomach.

He remembered Mr. Tony Stark telling him about the mission to Berlin. How Captain America didn’t agree with the Accords because he thought that the power to decide should stay with the Avengers only. How he was unwilling to share accountability. Peter believed him then, thinking that he could finally fight alongside his hero (although fighting his other hero did make it weird). But after the news, he was starting to have second thoughts. Did Mr. Stark really tell him everything? Why hadn’t he heard of the other rules the Accords had? What’s going to happen to him now?

“I didn’t fight on the wrong side did I?” Peter looked at Ned anxiously, unease clear in his eyes. Ned didn’t have an answer to that

Those thoughts filled his head as he and Ned continued their trek to school, hanging above them like a dark cloud. Ned decided then to share with him news about the new season of the fantasy show they’ve been waiting on. The way he inserted the topic, all bluntness and direct, made Peter smile.  It was obviously his way of distracting him from the news. And while it had zero subtlety in the attempt, he appreciated the effort. Soon they were inside Midtown High, joining the sea of students getting ready for class. Ned was ready to go in but Peter had to go the restroom so they decided to part ways for now. He had to walk a bit to get to the male restroom, which was at the end of the hall. There was still time before the bell was to ring but when Peter entered, he was the only one inside. Only the quiet of the restroom and the sound of his footfalls on the white tiles. Without the chatter of Ned to distract him, Peter’s thoughts strayed back to the disturbing development with the Accords. He couldn’t shake the idea that maybe, just maybe, he made a bad call.

But what Mr. Stark made sense! Supers had to comply to rules because they were dangerous when out of control! Even the Avengers aren’t perfect!

But that didn’t mean that he should be monitored. Or that people like him should be arrested on sight.

But that didn-

His thoughts were cut off when his phone rang, the sound loud in the silence of the bathroom. Checking the caller ID revealed an unknown number, setting alarm bells in Peter’s head. What he heard next only solidified the feeling that something bad was about to happen.

“Peter, where are you?” the person asked. The voice was from a man, one Peter would recognize anywhere, since said owner gave him the suit that was currently sitting in his bag. Peter started getting excited, maybe the Avengers needed Spider-man again?

“Mr. Stark? Oh my gosh you’re calling me! Do you need me to come in? Is there a danger that you need my help? I have my suit with me and I’m ready to go out right now! I-“ Peter’s happy chatter was suddenly cut off by Tony.

“Kid that’s not why I called you. I need to know where you are. Are you alone?” said Tony, sounding anxious. This made Peter pause. Why would Mr. Stark suddenly ask where he was? Why did he sound so worried?

“Yeah, I’m in a restroom at school. Why, is something wrong?” Wait wouldn’t Mr. Stark know that already? Couldn’t he just track him from his suit or something?

“Okay, good. I’m about to send a car in. I need you to get out of there right now. Don’t be seen, make sure no one knows where you are or where you’re going. I’ll send coordinates where Happy will pick you up.” He felt his eyes go wide at this.

“Woah woah, wait what? Mr. Stark what’s going on? My class is about to start, I can’t leave!” He exclaimed. Peter was getting really nervous. What could have made Mr. Stark suddenly send a car for him? Why did he need to leave? _What was going on?_

“No choice, you have to leave now!” Tony’s voice began rising in volume, a clear sign that he was getting more frantic.

“Mr. Stark I don’t understand, what is going o-”

“They know you’re Spider-man!”

This made Peter stop in his tracks. A feeling of ice flooded his veins as Tony kept on talking.

“The government figured it out. I don’t know how they did it, but they did. A bunch of agents and police officers are coming for you in your school to publicly out your identity as Spider-man before arresting you.”

“W-what?! But I didn’t do anything!” He knew vigilantism wasn’t something the police liked, but he did manage to help and they never really bothered to arrest him. Plus he didn’t do anything wrong! He was a friendly neighborhood Spider-man, he wasn’t a criminal!

“Doesn’t matter to them kid. You’re an enhanced individual. And one that’s been parading around in a red and blue jumpsuit while playing hero on American soil. Because of the Accords, you’re automatically considered a danger. Which is why you need to get out now!“

A feeling of numbness overcame Peter. With shaking fingers, he ended the call. He grabbed at his hair, looking for any purchase to ground himself against the panic that was starting to settle in his chest.

_This couldn’t be happening. This isn’t real. This had to be a nightmare._

He had been doing great in keeping Peter Parker separate from Spider-man. He thought that this day would never come. Except it did, and now they were gonna come for him guns blazing. He had to leave!

Taking a deep breath to center himself and grabbing his web shooters from his bag, Peter quickly left the bathroom. Since class wasn’t about to start soon, a lot of the students were still loitering in the halls. He looked around, checking if any of the teachers were nearby. They weren’t.

He walked the maze of hallways and through the crowds of students to get to the back exit, trying to make himself look as inconspicuous as possible. He could still feel his fingers shaking, so he clutched his bag straps tightly to try to keep them still. Fear gripped his heart and fueled his legs as he power walked away from the main throng of people and into the quieter hallways near the back of the school. If he was lucky, he could get out of this without a problem. The last thing he needed was a teacher calling for him to get to class.

“Mr. Parker? Where are you going?”

Son of a bitch! He quickly turned around and saw Principal Morita walking towards him, paling at the stern expression on the man’s face. Before he could get utter an excuse, Principal Morita grabbed his shoulder, effectively rooting him to his spot.

“Where do you think you’re going?” He looked at Peter expectantly, trying to make him admit that he was about to go hookie. Peter couldn’t respond, not knowing how to explain that he was about to be arrested by government agents because he was moonlighting as a crime fighter and not exactly human without exactly telling him.

“I-I, erm.” Nice going Parker. He could talk down a mugger pointing a gun to his face but he couldn’t make up an excuse as to why he was near the back exit. Principal Morita just sighed before turning him around and walking him back to the classrooms, hand firmly gripping his shoulder so he couldn’t get away. The hallways were mostly empty now, with most of the students having moved to their respective classes and only a few people outside. 

Peter’s mind began spinning, the stress of finding out his identity was compromised and his failed attempt to sneak out making it difficult to think of a way out. With every step they took, he felt a new shard of fear go through him. His heart began to beat faster and his breathing getting shallower as panic lanced through his chest. He was so screwed! If only Principal Morita didn’t see him. If only he walked faster. If only-

A sudden awareness went through him, the hairs of his arms standing on end. His eyes widened as a new expression of panic covered his face. That was his Spidey sense. Something bad was here. Something dangerous got into the school. He turned his head every which way trying to find it but couldn’t see anything. And he couldn’t check it out since Principal Morita still kept an iron grip on his shoulder. The more they walked, the more the feeling grew, and the more that Peter realized that maybe the danger wasn’t to the school but to _him_.

As the two rounded the corner, they were saw two police officers outside a classroom, Peter’s classroom. A bunch of students were staring at them. It wasn’t every day that police came to the school. Principal Morita looked at the two in confusion. Keeping a firm grip on Peter, they approached the men.

“Excuse me officers, can I help you?” The two turned to him simultaneously.

“Are you Principal Morita?”

“Yes I am. What can I do for you officers?”

“We’re looking for a kid named Peter Parker. Said that he should be in this class right now?”

Here Principal Morita turned to Peter with questioning eyes. The officers looked to him too and saw their eyes widen. One of them went inside the classroom before coming out with a tall man in a black suit in tow.

“Is this boy Peter Parker?” the man asked. Peter remained silent, fully frozen in fear as his Spidey sense screamed at him to get away _now_. Principal Morita answered for him instead.

“Yes this is Mr. Parker. Excuse me but what’s going on?”

“Principal Morita I presume?” the man said with a neutral voice. He brought out a badge and presented it to the principal, “My name is Agent Nielson. I’m with the Department of Homeland Security. I’m here for Mr. Parker.”

Principal Mortia looked at the agent, perplexed. “Excuse me but why does Homeland Security need my student for? There must have been a mistake.”

At this point, the students in his class were staring at the gathering outside the classroom. Even the teacher was openly gaping. Peter tried to avoid looking into the room, though he could feel their questioning gazes. Looking at the agent wasn’t any better. He stared at him with small plastic smile that sent shivers down Peter’s spine.

“Because, Mr. Morita, your student is under arrest for suspicions on breaking the Revised Sokovia Accords for enhanced individuals and extralegal vigilantism by acting unregistered as the known vigilante Spider-man.”

Whispers and shouts of surprise suddenly broke out. The sounds of disbelief and suspicion created a loud chorus that should have been heard from the other rooms. But it didn’t register to Peter, because his mind was suddenly filled with static. Only the words of the agent filled his thoughts, screaming at him from the inside.

' _Spider-man, spider-man, spider-man'_

It was an endless chant that bounced in his ears and threatened to spill out, though it wouldn't matter if it did now knowing that his secret identity had been compromised. The agent then nodded his head towards one of the officers before turning to Peter, who stared at the agent in shock. One of the police officers brought out a pair of handcuffs and began approaching him. Seeing this, Peter felt his heart go faster. Panic started to feel him and made everything sound muffled, from the sound of surprise coming from Principal Morita to the shocked conversations of his classmates. He felt paralyzed, his legs unmoving while his hands shook. Boxed in by his principal behind him and by the agent and the police, he felt trapped.

_He couldn’t move, why couldn’t he move!? Move goddamit!_

But even with these thoughts, he could only stare as the officer got closer and closer until his arms was pulled to be cuffed. The sound of the handcuffs locking into place sprung Peter into action. Without a thought, Peter ripped through his restraints and dashed in between the officers. Using his enhanced reflexes, he dodged the attempts to grab him before running as fast as his legs could go. He could hear them shout for him to stop and the pounding of their feet as they gave chase. The distant sound of the officers and the agent talking to handhelds told him back up would be coming soon.

He ran through the halls and made as many turns as he could in an attempt to lose them. With each turn and corner he passed he could hear their voices fade further and further. He gave one more burst of his enhanced speed as he turned a corner and listened. He could still hear them, albeit a bit farther now, more like echoes than actual voices. Still he didn’t risk it. Seeing an open door, he quickly dove in before slamming it shut. He strained his senses, the pounding of his heart and the blood rushing in his ears making it difficult, trying to pick up even the remote sound of footsteps. When he was sure they weren’t coming, he let out a sigh of relief and let his head fall on the wooden door. He took a few calming breaths to let his heart rate go down. Maybe now he could think clearly enough for a way to get out of this mess?

“Parker? What are you doing here?”

The question made Peter jump. Turning around, he saw Coach Wilson and an entire class of students in the middle of Gym sitting on the bleachers. He could hear the TV playing the Captain America PSA’s as they stared at him, a kid with broken handcuffs on his wrists and breathing loudly like he came from a marathon, in confusion. Not knowing what to do, he said the first thing that came to mind.

“I just really wanted to go to gym class?” He supplemented it with what he hoped was a charming smile.

They just kept on staring, Peter feeling more awkward with each passing second. He decided to keep walking, fully ignoring the stares he got. He was halfway through the gym when the PA system suddenly buzzed to life. Everyone stared at the speakers in surprise, the sound making them momentarily forget the existence of Peter. They gave their attention to the speakers, fully expecting the normal morning announcements to commence. That didn’t happen.

_“Warning. All students and faculty are to remain in their respective rooms. A dangerous individual is currently on the loose inside the school. If anyone is to see the enhanced individual known as Peter Parker, please report him immediately to the authorities.”_

The message was repeated a few times but was largely ignored by the people in the gym in favor of once again staring at the teen who was now running at full speed away from the gym.

Peter knew that there was a fire exit near the end, right by the bleachers where the students sat. He ignored the question from Coach Wilson and the whispering of the other students as he made it to the door. Better to focus on not getting arrested.

Peter pushed the door open, finally outside. The bright morning light fell on the parking lot and bathed everything with soft sunlight. He was about to run when his Spidey sense went wild. He immediately jumped behind a car, just as something flew past him and embedded itself into the pavement. He looked at the strange claw-like projectile they shot at him and saw electricity arch in the device. Was this a taser? Were they trying to taze him? _Holy hell they were shooting at him!_

He heard them talk to their radios,  his enhanced hearing picking up their voices sharing his location to the rest of the people after him. The door of the fire exit soon slammed open and the sound of running came out. He remained there, tense and in anticipation, waiting for their next move.

“Come out Peter! We don’t want to make this any harder than it is!” A male voice demanded. It was unfamiliar, which meant that it was one of the agents or the police officers. 

He ignored him and looked for a way out. He couldn’t go left since that’s where those goons were, he couldn’t go back since he’ll get trapped in the school. He could try to go to the rest of the parking lot but that would just leave him vulnerable. He then saw the fence, the one on the other half of the parking lot just across from him. It was a chain link fence that separated the school from a mess of alleyways and quiet streets of Queens. Very few people were ever there, even on a busy day. For today though, it was Peter’s ticket out of here. Now he only had to find a way to not get shot at before he could jump over.

He slowly made his way through the cars, trying his best to remain low. He was able to sneak around a few cars, deciding instead to get far enough away that even if they saw him they wouldn’t be able to shoot him accurately. At least that was the plan until he accidentally bumped into one of the officers.

He shared an awkward smile with the guy, which was reciprocated with a gun in to his face. Before the guy could pull the trigger though, Peter was webbing up his feet and grabbing his gun. He threw it as far as he could and just ran. He made it half way through when one of the bullets flew past him as an obvious warning shot.

“Nowhere to run kid. Just give up now and this could go way easier ok?” Agent Neilson said calmly, like he was just about the weather and not about to arrest a fifteen-year-old.

“Come on guys, I didn’t do anything!” He pleaded to the officers, hoping that maybe one of them had sympathy for arresting a kid. But none of them responded, except for one of the agents.

“Look, I’m sorry kid but orders are orders. You broke the law so you have to go in.” A different agent was looking at him almost sadly, like she didn’t want to do this. Peter held on to that hope, that maybe he could still convince him to let him go.

“Please… Please don’t kill me.” He begged them with a quivering voice. He could feel his eyes begin to water, whether it was him playing the sad factor or him genuinely about to cry he wasn’t sure.

“We’re not going to kill you kid. And we don’t want to use the tazers on you so just give up.” One of the officers, a younger man, told him.

He looked at the five guys who had their stun guns trained on him. He could try to dodge their attacks but enhanced reflexes and Spidey sense could only get him so far. He was trapped. He wasn't going to get out of this. The thought made ice crawl up his spine. His throat felt like it was constricting itself, every breath coming out as a fearful gasp or whimper. The feel of the cuffs that still sat on his wrists felt like it was burning his skin, reminding him of what was about to happen. His mind was slowly filling up with static again and the image of their guns on him was burning into his retinas and sending his heart rate to spike even further.  His internal panic rendered him immobile, suck in the middle of the parking lot as the officers slowly walked closer to him. He felt himself take a slight step back, more of a reaction than an actual choice. As they crept closer, a sudden flurry of images raced through his mind's eye. Him in cuffs as the whole school watched. Him in the court as a judge sentenced him to prison. Him behind bars. Aunt May crying. This couldn't be the end.

A thought suddenly crossed his fear-addled mind. He couldn't run out since they had their weapons trained on him. It was a desperate situation. And he could only think of one way out of this. He moved himself to a calm standing position and put out his wrists, a sign showing them that he was finished. A simple admission of defeat. 

_There was one way he could get out._

The police did not react at first, not knowing of what to do with the sudden change. He let his head slowly hang, his hair covering his eyes though his gaze only stayed on them. The agents kept their guns on him, unbelieving, but the police slowly lowered their guns to accept his silent surrender. The young police officer who spoke to him then began approaching him slowly, hand cuff out. When he got to the kid without incident, he quickly cuffed him.

_Sorry about this._

 

* * *

 

He looked at the despondent teen sadly. Arresting innocent kids like this wasn’t what Officer Enrique signed up for. He was supposed to capture muggers, drug dealers, actual criminals. Not nerdy teens who looked like they couldn’t even handle a punch. He could even see the tears in the kid’s eyes. He sighed quietly and turned to the others before he heard the sounds of chains breaking. He felt something cover his hands, before he was turned around. A hand was grasping him from behind and keeping him faced in front.

Suddenly, the kid’s arm jutted out from his side and something from his wrist started firing a series of projectiles at their guns and hands . One tried to taze the kid but Enrique found himself in the line of sight of the guy so there wasn’t a clear shot. The man's feet were suddenly covered by a white  _thing_ kept him rooted from the spot. Another tried to aim at the kid but Enrique was once again in the line of fire, the kid manhandling him so easily like he wasn't a 170-lbs adult. 

_Shit, this kid was using him as a human shield._

With all of them incapacitated, Enrique felt the hand disappear from his back and the sound footsteps quickly disappearing. He turned around but saw the kid already on the other side of the fence, disappearing in the alleyways.

 

* * *

 

Peter kept on running, twisting between as many alleys and streets as he could. Checking behind him, he saw that he was alone and that no sounds of footsteps were chasing him. Still he kept on running, the image of their guns sending a spike of fear. Adrenaline kept on flowing through his veins and powered his legs as he continued on running. He must have been running for a long time because when he stopped in a dark alley, he didn't recognize anything that looked remotely familiar. He must have been far away from Midtown by now. Turning around, he saw that the alley had an old motor bike stashed underneath a small roof. Ducking inside, he hid in the shadows of the motorcycle and awning and slowly slid downwards. His pulse was racing and he was breathing hard. The idea that those people were still after him kept him from ever truly relaxing. But in the quiet of the alley, hiding in the shadows underneath fire escapes and terraces, he was safe.

At least for now.

A ringing from his pocket made him jump. He quickly grabbed his phone and saw that it was Aunt May. He picked up immediately.

“Peter? Peter where are you?!” Aunt May. She sounded wobbly, more hoarse, like she had been shouting. It wasn't anything like the bubbly sounds of his aunt.  But all Peter heard was the loving voice that calmed his racing heart.

“Aunt May…”  Peter whined. The sound of her voice brought him relief so aching that he almost cried. He so desperately wanted to be with her right now.  "Aunt May, something happened. Something bad." 

“Peter what’s going on?!The police suddenly arrived here and it's been a mess-" she suddenly gave a loud cry and the sound of her shouting at someone exploded from the earpiece. Her voice then returned, sounding more shaken than before.  "Why are they calling you Spider-man? Petey what is going on?”

Peter froze at what she said. His heart suddenly felt like it dropped from his chest. They were there. At his house. They were questioning his aunt. It was all over. He could hear his aunt asking for his safety, of where he was, but it all sounded distant. His ears started to be filled with cotton as the static from his mind came back full force. 

He realized, with growing trepidation, that it wasn’t over. This nightmare was only beginning.

He grabbed on to his phone tightly, super strength almost cracking the screen, like it was his life line. He took a couple of deep breaths before he spoke with a quivering voice, a child’s voice. Tears had started to fall in honest. And he hoped, with as much as his heart could muster, that these words won’t be his last

“Aunt May, I don’t think I’m coming home for a while.”

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS STORY IS NOT DEAD!!!!!  
> BECAUSE YA BOI IS BACK!!!!!!
> 
> Hi guys! Sorry i took a few months before I finally got to returning to this story. But anyhow, HERE IT IS!!! The second chapter!!!I have a vague idea of where I wanna go with this story, but for now I'm just gonna see how my writing progresses. Now enough about me. 
> 
> ENJOY THE STORY!

 

_1-month prior_

 

Tony wondered, not for the first time, if he should have just stayed in retirement. Well technically he still is in retirement from being Iron Man. All he does these days is just do charity events and press conferences, develop new technology to change the world, maybe try to reconnect with Pepper, and convince himself that everything was going to get better, not particularly in that order. And yeah there was that brief stint in the suit and the whole ‘Civil War’ scandal. But for the most part, he played a much more mellow role with the whole Avenging deal.

Which should have meant that he didn’t have to deal with assholes like Secretary Ross visiting him out of nowhere and requesting to meet him. Thankfully FRIDAY kept him at bay (it was fun to watch his eyebrow do that little tic whenever he was pissed off) and gave him just enough time to change his mind from pretending he wasn’t home to being a mature adult that faces his responsibilities (Pepper would be proud). But that had its own disadvantages. Like having to talk with the very “charming” (emphasis on the quotation marks) Secretary of State for who knows what reason this time.

He greeted Ross with a shit-eating grin as the man walked in to the living room of the Avengers Compound. Dressed in nothing but a grease stained shirt and loose jeans, Tony looked about as unkempt as possible. Which made him grin at Ross, wearing a suit and tie like a government sleaze (he even had a brief case!) who saw his state of dress and frowned heavily.

_Not gonna get dressed up for you asshole_

“I hope you know that I’m a very busy man and you dropping unannounced is messing with my schedule,” he said as he sat down on one of the couches. Ross stayed standing, power posturing, and Tony didn’t bother for him to sit down. Let the douche have aching knees for all he cared.

Ross grunted, something amused if that was even possible on the incredibly stern man. “Really? Good.”

Now if Tony were a lesser man, he would have mumbled “dick” under his breath. But he is a mature, reasonable human being and goes for “Wow, aren’t you just a ray of sunshine” instead.

Ross has this face between stoic passivism and a grimace, which Tony wants to simultaneously film just for the heck of it and to avoid because it was weird to have it directed at you. “You don’t get to make jokes Tony. Don’t forget that you’re still in hot water after that stunt in Germany.”

Tony bristled at that, but tried to keep his face cocky and indifferent, countering with, “And maybe Germany didn’t have to happen if you guys had better security that actually _checked who they let in the building_.”

“That was an oversight. It won’t happen again.”

Oversight? Not _checking the identity_ of the man they brought in to talk to a brainwashed super soldier with a metal arm? Not calling the UN for security confirmation when they had all the time in the world to investigate him? Tony scoffed at that. “It was a hell of an oversight that had Captain America defecting against his own government. Not a pretty picture isn’t it?”

Ross bared his teeth at him, before schooling his face back into a stoic mask. “And you were the one who was supposed to return him, _without creating another incident._ You were lucky you weren’t incarcerated.”

“We both know that that would have been a legal nightmare for both our ends,” Tony challenged.

There was a frustrated tenseness in Ross’ posture even as replied, “There are consequences for everything Tony. And this time, not even you can escape it.”

Ross then placed the brief case the coffee table. Tony looked at the brief case then back to Ross with a raised eyebrow. The other man just glowered at him. Rolling his eyes at the expression, Tony opened the case. Inside was a pile of paper, soft bound as a book, thin and bearing a familiar name.

“The Sokovia Accords? I already have a copy. But if deliver extra copies in case we lose our own book of the UN holy gospel then you should try sending it via mail. I don’t like being handed things”

“This is not just the Accords Tony. Open it.”

With a confused expression, Tony brought the book closer. “‘Proposed Amendments and Revisions?’? What is this?”

“Read it Stark. Find out for yourself.”

The billionaire sent one more glance to the suited man, who walked to a nearby window. Perplexed, he began reading. There was silence as Tony read, Ross staying by the window. The man just stood quietly, appearing for all intents and purposes calm and patient. Tony, on the other hand, was the exact opposite. The further he read the words written on the paper, the more his expression changed from puzzled to surprised, more and more bewildered with each sentence. He finished reading as quickly as possible before he put down the paper harshly on the coffee table.

“Ross what is this?”

At the call of his name, Ross turned from his perch and back to the visibly distressed man on the couch. In a calm, unsmiling voice, that didn’t manage to hide his smug disdain, he replied, “Consequence.”

This prompted Tony to lift his gaze at the man in front of him. Seeing the proud posture and hearing the almost self-righteous tone made him see red. “Arrest on sight? No access to trial? Forced segregation and registration? This is unconstitutional!”

“This is a better price to pay for safety.”

Tony jumped at that and marched to Ross, not mindful of the height difference as he stared at the man eyes with his own, face curled in an expression of fury barely kept at bay and a raging fire burning in his gaze. “By taking away their freedom? Their privacy, their right to live their own life unbothered?”

“By assuring the public that what must be done will be done.” Ross challenged him with his own stare, cold and unflinching, steady. Tony could see how _self-assured_ the man was with this development. It was disconcerting to say the least.

“These are civilian lives,” he told him in an angry but quiet voice. “You’re telling me that civilians, who have no history with war or battle are suddenly required to give up their lives and freedom? They are innocent.”

Ross did not take kindly to this, curling his lips in distaste as he spat back, “So were the people of Sokovia. And those of New York. And every major disaster that happened ever since the enhanced emerged.”

Tony just stared at him, with wide unbelieving eyes. Because this couldn’t be happening. This couldn’t be real.

“This isn’t consequence,” he whispered. “This is blatant disregard for human rights.”

“No, it’s a safety valve. A way to control before things get out of hand.”

“By putting every single enhanced person in jail?”

“By ensuring the safety of the larger population. The only way to stop the super villains is by removing the superpowers entirely. There can’t be another Ultron if there’s no Tony Stark.”

Ross’ last words were like a battering ram to Tony. Not for the first time did his guilt resurface, and he had to do his best to keep the mask of disbelief and rage on his face and not let it break into something more vulnerable. As he stood speechless and trying to sort himself out, Ross smirked haughtily that made Tony’s blood boil.

“This isn’t what I signed up for,” he told him.

“I told you Tony, this is the consequence of your failure.”

“So what, are you gonna arrest me now?” Tony asked. More to fill the silence than an actual question, because the horrible possibilities were beginning to swim in his head. Because this meant even lesser protection and more dangers. Only now they came from those he protected. The very people who the Avengers fought for would take the knife against use it against them. He wondered how he couldn’t have seen this coming.

“I doubt you’re AI would be accepting of that. I only just came here to deliver the news personally.” Tony wondered if Ross did it just to see him crack under the terrible development. Knowing the asshole, that was probably the case.

The other man just shook his head, almost regretfully. “Think of this as a warning. Letting you get involved in Germany was a mistake that I will not make again. The next time you use that suit for something not government sanctioned, you’ll be next to go to the Raft.”

“The suits are private property. They aren’t in your jurisdiction.”

“But you are.” At this, Ross took a huge step closer and was almost looming over him. “Remember Tony, legally speaking you’re just like Captain America. And if the law says that you using the suit for anything that we didn’t want you too is a danger to national security, then you’ll find yourself treated just like Captain America.”

And with that Ross left. And Tony was left stewing in his anger, hate, self-loathing, and deep well of regret and guilt that never seemed to get empty.

 

* * *

 

 

_Present_

 

Tony watched the screen of his holographic TV with baited breath. He had a white knuckle grip on the glass of scotch he was nursing in one hand, while his other was continuously rubbing his chest, phantom pains lancing his sternum. He sat silently in his personal office in the compound. Alone because he needed the space to think. He kept receiving calls from Rhodey and Pepper but he hadn’t answered a single one. He’d already answered there calls earlier, he didn’t need them breathing down his back. He didn’t need their concern. All he needed was to watch.

And see how all his attempts to remedy the situation were all for nothing.

“Happy are you there yet? Have you seen him?” he said loudly, eyes still not leaving the events unfolding before him. The wobbly camera that took footage of the façade of a familiar school. The reporter’s voice loud against the clamor of the crowd that were pushing to get inside, held back by the line of police tape. The sight of _armed_ police officers and government agents entering the school. And the kids. Tony felt his stomach churn as the kids were slowly escorted out. From the distance, the camera was able to catch the faces of the kids, if barely. The sight made his chest ache badly, and he absentmindedly brought a hand to try and ease the pain.

“Not yet boss,” Happy replied, face appearing on a smaller screen besides the news. His eyes were focused on the road, voice surprisingly calm given the situation. But Tony saw the tension in them too. He wasn’t as calms as he thought he was. “Still a few minutes out. Traffic got bad and I had to take another route.”

Tony made a frustrated noise at that. If he was in the suit, he would have been with Peter right now. And he was already half tempted to do so right now. But he knew he couldn’t. Ever since Ross came by with the recent development on the Accords, monitoring over all known enhanced had skyrocketed. All of his suits were now monitored and tracked. And movement and the sky was being observed and recorded, only now with ‘Iron Man’ being much closer to the blacklist than ever before. Any move Tony would make was gonna be a precedent for the government to act and arrest him. And so far, the only thing that had made sure that wouldn’t happen was his compliance. Because so many people were at stake now, not just him. Which was why he had to take a more clandestine approach. Thank God for Happy.

“Just please get there on time. I’ll try to call him again,” he pleaded. He saw Happy turn to him slightly and give him a brief nod before the call was ended. Tony was left with nothing to distract him but the sight of kids being questioned and police scurrying around Peter’s school. He should probably turn it off, he thought as he dialed Peter’s cell. But the idea of turning away mad him sick. Even through the ringing of the call and the sounds of the news, he could hear his thoughts swirling.

_Because that’s why this happened. Because I didn’t keep a closer eye. Because I was so careless. Because I always hurt people in the end. Because I’m a monster._

 

* * *

 

 

“Aunt May, I don’t think I’m coming home for a while.”

“Peter what do you mean?! What is going on?!” Aunt May shouted. She sounded frightened, scared, and Peter felt more tears slip from his eyes and a sob escape his throat as he realized that _he_ was the one doing this.

His voice was shaky as he answered, just on the verge of crying, but he forced himself to stay calm. Which wasn’t working since he heard Aunt May give out a distressed sound of her own. “I’m sorry Aunt May. But they’re after me because I’m Spider-man.”

“Peter Benjamin Parker, what are you talking about?!” she cried out. “Where are you right now? We need to discuss this! Please tell me your safe. Where are you?” Peter could hear that she was crying at this point, so afraid of what’s happening. Guilt burned in his chest.

“I-,” his voice broke at the first syllable and he had to clear his throat before trying again, “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

“No! Peter please come home, maybe we can talk to them, convince them that they made a mistake. Just please come back home baby. Please I need to know you’re safe.” This time, Aunt May was shamelessly bawling, and the sound of her cries made painful lurches in Peter’s chest. He muffled his own cries with his hand, and tried to steel himself as he said his next words.

“I’m sorry, Aunt May,” he said, “but I can’t. I’m sorry.”

“Peter, wait please don’t-”

“I’m really sorry, I’ll try to contact you as soon as I can.”

“Wait, Peter-”

He dropped the call, any longer and he might not be able to stop. He knew that he should get moving, that with the length of their conversation, the people after him would have traced his location right now, or maybe the people searching the apartment would have heard their conversation and questioned her (and the thought of them hurting Aunt May made his anger spike and his guilt burn even harder).

But he couldn’t move, the memory of Aunt May’s voice haunted his mind. He could easily imagine the tears that must be falling right now. She did that raspy breathing thing when she was trying not to cry, and Peter heard her do that just before he cut off the call. And it was honestly so fucking horrifying how intimately Peter knows the way his Aunt May would break down.

_It was the news of his parents. Then it was the sight of Uncle Ben. Now it was him. He was responsible for doing this to her._

It was that thought that had Peter crying his eyes out in the alley, the sound of his sorrow drowned by the noise of traffic. He kept up his pathetic display, limbs still frozen and heavy, when another call came from his phone. There was a prickle of fear in Peter that wondered if it was the feds, only to sigh in relief when he saw the familiar name.

“Mr. Stark?”

 

* * *

 

 

The call connected and Tony immediately silenced the news with a gesture. It was just audio, the video call not available because of the kid’s old phone. But it was enough for Tony because as he heard the kid’s voice, he felt himself collapse in relief.

“Kid? Kid are you alright? I saw the news that the police arrived. Happy’s already on the way, just hang on tight ok? Are you alright? Please tell me you’re alright.” His came out as a rambling mess of nerves and worry, not the articulate way he was usually around others.

“I-I’m,” the kid broke off into a set of whimpers and broken breaths and Tony’s heart clenched, a mantra of ‘ _oh god oh god I’m sorry so sorry this is my fault oh god’_ repeating in his head.

“I’m fine. Just peachy,” Peter finally replied, a false lightness in his voice. Tony could hear the roughness in his voice, as well as the tiny hiccups the kid let out. He’d been crying, hard, by the sound of it.

“So how are you doing Mr. Stark? Still trying to save the world?” Peter asked, attempting at humor. It shouldn’t work, but hearing the kid trying to joke, while obviously doing his best not to break down, eased something in Tony’s heart. He let out a disbelieving laugh, before taking deep breaths before he lost it.

“I’m fine kid. Just fine. Glad to know you got out of school alive. Are you going to the coordinates I sent you?”

There was the sound of sniffling then shuffling before he heard the crunch of shoes on pavement.

“Headed there now. Where’d you send the coordinates?”

“Both in your mask and in your phone.”

There was the sound of shuffling and fiddling before Peter’s voice returned.

“Okay, I’m headed there now.”

At that Tony let out a sigh of relief. “Okay that’s good. Just keep this line open okay? Answer immediately when I call.”

“Wait,” said Peter. “Won’t they be able to trace the call?”

Tony gave the kid a smirk, despite knowing Peter wouldn’t see it, letting his smugness seep into his voice instead. “Nope. Made sure that you weren’t gonna be traced the moment I started calling you. The signal they’ll get is gonna be bouncing everywhere in the planet. You’re safe kid.”

He couldn’t see the kid’s reaction, but he heard the awe from the voice alone. “That. Is. Awesome.”

Tony relaxed a little at that. The kid’s gonna be fine. He might not be in the best situation, he might not be able to get him personally, hell the kid should be in _school_ , not being hunted by the government, but he was still alive and, for now, that’s what mattered to Tony.

“I know it is kid. But as cool as my ability to dupe the government is, I really need you to get going ok?”

“Don’t worry Mr. Stark. I’m already running.” And he was because there was the sound of pounding feet on pavement and rushing wind coming form the speakers.

“Good. Try to avoid any form of transportation that has a camera. Go for the rundown taxis or old buses. Make sure you have a hoodie to hide your face, they’re gonna plaster your face all over the news soon. And whatever you do, don’t use your webshooters. That’s just a dead giveaway to who you are.”

If Peter could vocalize rolling his eyes, Tony could imagine he would be doing it right now, “I know Mr. Stark. I’m doing my best not to be seen you know.”

“Just making sure kid. 15 year olds tend to do stupid shit all the time.” Of course Tony didn’t mention that it usually his type, the early alcoholics, the party goers, the cool rich kids with too many issues, but that’s beside the point.

“For your information Mr. Stark., I happen to be a good, Christian boy raised in a Christian household.”

Tony scoffed at the joking words, “Please kid I know you’re an atheist. And moonlighting as a super hero isn’t the thing most good Christian boys would be doing.”

There was silence on the other line, both the sound of movement and breathing having disappeared, before Peter’s voice returned, quieter and sadder than before, “Yeah they don’t. And they don’t make their wonderful aunts cry either.”

Tony silently cursed in his head. _Way to ruin the moment_.

“Okay just relax. Everything’s gonna be alright. Happy’s gonna pick you up, he’s gonna take you to the compound, and I’ll make sure that we find a place to hide you while I do my best to fight all this nonsense,” he told the distressed teen. There was more silence before a quiet “Okay,” was said. Tony let out a relieved sigh as the sounds of footsteps started again, barely heard by the sudden noise of what must be the road.

“That’s good that’s good, just keep this call open so I can be updated okay?”

“Oka-” Peter started but then suddenly stopped. There was another moment of silence, slowly stretching, before it was broken by the sound of feet hitting the pavement, only at a much faster rate. There was harsh breathing coming from the speaker, and the sounds of running getting faster.

“Peter?”

There was no response, only the staccato breaths.

“Peter what’s going on?”

And then there was a ‘thwip’ followed by a suspicious sound of yelling and then wind rushing by.

“Peter!” he shouted, “Peter what’s going on?”

“They found me!” That had Tony’s blood run cold.

“Peter get out of there now! Don’t use your web shooters or you’ll attract too much attention!”

“I had no choice! I was running and then I saw this kid was gonna get hit by a car and I just swooped in. But they must have seen it cause now they’re on my tail!”

Tony cursed, loudly this time. _Stupid, heroic, selfless, self-sacrificing idiot._

“Okay just find a safe spot to hide and let the attention drift away from you.”

“I’m trying!” he shouted. There was the loud howling of the wind, the thwiping sound of Peter’s webshooters, and then there was the sound of feet of pavement, pounding and running, and all of it was sending Tony’s heart pounding.

“Pete, find a place to hide quickly!”

He heard Peter say something, but before he could, something loud and piercing resounded in the air.

It was the sound of a gunshot.

 

* * *

 

 

_“In today’s top story, more reports have come in of multiple government sanctioned arrests made on civilians. This is, of course, as a response to the earlier new about the Sokovia Accords having been revised to provide harsher punishments against what is being classified as ‘enhanced’ individuals. The regulations implemented by these new Accords have already taken effect in more than a dozen countries, now including the United States of America, where, just this morning, over a dozen arrests have been made against ‘enhanced’ individuals and even extralegal vigilantes. There has been currently no word with Avenger member, and owner of Stark Industries, Tony Stark, on the matter.”_

Steve Rogers muted the TV and started rubbing his forehead with his fingers, trying to battle the incoming headache. Having come to his hotel after busting a child trafficking ring in Siberia, he was planning on trying to have a quiet morning to relax. And then he decided to turn on the TV. The news he woke up to that morning wasn’t a good one. And it was making his already moody morning even worse.

“You know you shouldn’t watch TV all the time. It’s bad for the brain.”

He quirked a smile at that and turned his head to his friend sitting on the arm of the sofa. He was sure that he was alone that morning, but knowing his friend, he might simply not have noticed.

“You know Natasha, it’s not nice to sneak up on people.”

Natasha Romanoff just gave him an unapologetic shrug, a ‘what can you do’ expression on her face.

“Sneaking up behind people is my job. I’d be offended if you had noticed me at all.”

Steve smiled at that, and Natasha spared him a grin before she took the remote and unmuted the TV, turning back to the news, the stream of Russian filling the silence.

_“It is believed that more countries will apply the revisions in the oncoming weeks. China and India have already dictated that they are planning on releasing the new laws, in accordance to the accords, by next week. This has sparked a massive amounts of support, and outrage. Many are pushing for an earlier release, while others are asking the government of the world to halt all proceedings regarding the laws. But whether or not the government listens, one thing is for sure. The world will never be the same.”_

“No it won’t,” Steve agreed with the reporter.

“This is bad Steve.” Natasha was now stoic beside him, the easy smile from before gone. Steve was the same, all traces of his good mood vanished at the realization.

“I know,” he answered.

“They’re just gonna get more driven to find us.”

“I know.”

“But this time, we’re not the only ones at risk.”

“Everyone is.”

She said nothing in response as they continued watching. There were scenes of people being dragged from their homes, handcuffed and humiliated. People protesting on the streets. Shoot outs in dangerous attempts. And so many enhanced. So many people with intelligence so dangerous that they built weapons of mass destruction in the yard. People with strange abilities that he’d never seen or heard before. And more and more just kept appearing. There were so many of them that Steve was surprised SHIELD didn’t take any of them.

_Or maybe they did. Not everything was in the SHIELDS file dump after all._

_An intelligence agency that fears intelligence?_

There was a child crying on screen. The sight brought Steve out of his mental space. The child’s face was dirty, tears staining her face. She was crying in the middle of a battle zone, the police having engaged a woman who was moving the earth around her.

 _“Wait! Please!”_ she cried. The police on screen didn’t listen, just kept on trying to detain her. Steve could see how little control over her powers she had. And that little control she had was now destroying a building, rubble falling around her. The police didn’t stop though, they just kept shooting. And then one shot got lucky and the woman fell dead.

_If we can’t accept limitations, if we’re boundary less, then we’re no better than the bad guys._

He stared at the screen with a stoic expression on his face. He saw the woman getting shot in his mind, even as the news had switched to the anchor telling more details instead. He saw the child crying, covered in soot and looking for her mommy. He could see the woman, scared beyond belief, trying not to lose control, so afraid. He saw her fall lifeless to the ground. And he thought of all the others like them. All soot stained children, all the scared mothers, all of them now at risk.

And he made a decision.

He turned off the TV, before facing Natasha. The spy just shot him a questioning glance.

“Something tells me that you’ve made up your mind,” she supplied.

Steve said nothing, only gave her a grim smile.

“Something tells me we might have our work cut out for us.”

Natasha raised an eyebrow, questioning, before her eyes widened and she gave him a grin.

“We doing smuggling now Rogers?”

Steve actually laughed at that.

“It’s not smuggling if it’s people.”

“Nah, it just called human trafficking.”

He rolled his eyes and just stood up to get his stuff ready and packed. “How about helping them seek asylum?”

Natasha made a show of pondering this, even though Steve knew she already made up her mind.

“I don’t see why not?”

She gave him a smile, but her eyes were fierce and determined. Steve was pretty sure the same was in his own.

“I’ll call Sam. We have work to do.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAND IT'S DONE! Did you like the angst? Did I actually provide angst? Was it actually angsty at all or did I just make them sound like whiney babies? I need criticisms to help my work improve guys, so I can bring great content all the time! And, as always, thanks for reading!
> 
> Leave a comment or kudos, share, and follow if you liked this story and any of my other story ideas like it!  
>   
> Please support me on my [ Ko-Fi ](http://ko-fi.com/fluffyspideys) which can help me write more stories like this and more!  
> I also have a [ Twitter account @fluffyspideys ](https://twitter.com/fluffyspideys) for any fandom related queries and/or if you feel lonely.  
> Thank you!!

**Author's Note:**

> If you managed to get this far, then yay! Thanks for reading! This is currently a one shot for now but I might consider making it a bigger story since the idea of a run away Peter is appealing. I hoped you had fun!
> 
> Edit:  
> Please check out the song that inspired the title! It's really good!


End file.
